Paris

I enjoyed an opportunity to sleep in before venturing out. Today had a few to do items. Buy books, buy pants, buy shoes. When traveling over such time and distance, sometimes you have to do mundane things in not so mundane places. For me, that means buying clothes in Paris.

First, a bookshop. I found a spot that looked suitably insane and picked up Zorba the Greek and Heart of Darkness. My review of Heinlin’s Job follows…

The first 250 pages could have been 50 but maybe that is the point. The ending is fantastic, silly, and provides a sill view of religion. Good fun. The author also lets his love for halter tops bleed into the pages. While, I cannot fault him for the preference, after the umpteenth time it did little to advance the plot.

Next stop, Les Halles, Le premiere mall du Paris. The city is full of designer clothes and cute boutiques. Unfortunately I needed clothes that were comfortable, durable, and easy to care for. Luggage space is precious and I am unfortunately unable to haul souvenirs. After a few hours wandering the underground pit of a mall I left empty handed. This was all the more unfortunate as I noticed one of my pairs of pants is starting to tear and I stepped in shit on the way to the mall, thus expediting my need for new shoes. No matter, at least I have books. 

City lights

Sadie has a cousin in town and we met with him at 4. He’s an Urban Studies major at Brown and studying abroad in Paris. He grew up on the Marshall Islands and is full of interesting stories of growing up there and cool thoughts on Pacific Island politics. He took us to a Provençal restaurant and helps us navigate the menu. His French is fantastic and the pastis is better. Life is good. We hit a bar and cafe after, chatting the evening away.

Paris gives me little to write about but feels comfortable.